Official: Ex-Juventus star Douglas Costa leaves Chievo for Al Ittifaq with Balotelli | OneFootball

Former Juventus man Douglas Costa has now left Serie D side Chievo and will unite with Mario Balotelli at Al Ittifaq.

Douglas Costa had surprised everyone when signing for Chievo Verona, who were forced to begin again from Serie D following bankruptcy.

The Brazilian made the decision after experiences at Gremio, Bayern Munich, Juventus and the LA Galaxy, because he was out of contract in January 2026.

Douglas Costa strange career path

TURIN, ITALY – JULY 20: Douglas Costa (L) of Juventus is challenged by Danilo Cataldi of SS Lazio during the Serie A match between Juventus and SS Lazio at Allianz Stadium on July 20, 2020 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

It was not just a training exercise, as he played 11 games for Chievo, contributing one assist.

However, he has now put pen to paper with Al Ittifaq, where he will reunite with good friend Balotelli.

It was Balotelli who initially helped get the deal with Chievo done, acting as a go-between with director Andrea Fulco.

This is also because Italian entrepreneur Pietro Laterza owns both Chievo and Al Ittifaq.

It was always the plan to essentially ‘park’ Douglas Costa with the Italian team until June, when the slots would open up to sign new foreign players in Dubai.

That’s not all, as Sky Sport Italia report another new signing for Al Ittifaq could be Enock Barwuah, Balotelli’s brother, who currently plays for Serie D side Desenzano.